Animal rights activists in the Smolensk region have demanded the release of a female bear. She lives in a cramped cage by the road.

Masha the Bear lives in a cage near a closed roadside Cafe "Berloga" in the Smolensk region She's already 19 years old. Animal rights activists are ready to transport her to a rehabilitation center, but the animal's owner Sergey Vaskin is not going to part with her.
He found the cub nearby, bottle-fed Masha, and placed her in a cage. Now the cage is rusty, food remains inside, and the bear can barely turn around in her home. Masha chews her paws until they bleed, most likely from stress. The cramped quarters and the inability to hide from people and passing cars are driving her practically crazy.
"She needs a large forest enclosure to hide from human eyes and noise, and to have something to do in that enclosure."- claims veterinarian Sergey Gershov.
Khozin retorts: Masha is a favorite pet.
"If you had a dog or a cat, you'd keep it for 18 years, and then give it away. How would that be?" Vaskin responded to journalists, stating that certain “standards” of the enclosure-cage were observed.
A rehabilitation center in the Volgograd region is ready to take in the bear, promising to provide Masha with all the necessary conditions. This cannot be done without the owner's consent. The prosecutor's office previously conducted an inspection regarding animal cruelty and promised to take action, but Masha still lives in her cage. A video of her suffering appear regularly в социальных сетях.
Photos: screenshots from video, social media

